What a beauty! What a game!
You’d have to hand it to the Drua Women! When the going got tough yesterday against the Western Force, they kept their composure, believed in themselves, and came off with a blinder at the last minute.
The setting was near perfect. Intermittent rain in the early part of the day threatened to dampen spirits and the Drua Women’s challenge in the Capital City.
Mother nature had other ideas though, and the stage was set for a great afternoon. It wasn’t too sunny, and too hot! And the skies did not really open up!
In front of a sell-out crowd in Suva, the Drua Women lived up to expectations. It got jittery midway out there, but in the end, they dug in, kept the momentum, and came off with the result fans wanted.
They missed a couple of kicks which could have set them higher on the points tally, however, things worked out for the Mosese Rauluni coached side in the end.
And what a thriller it turned out to be in front of a vocal and patriotic home crowd.
The sea of blue, white, and green was a powerful presence at the Laucala bowl.
It was a full house and the Force had an added element to consider – the fans! Force skipper Trilleen Pomare beamed with pride at the end of the torrid affair though. They’d led 14-10 early in the second half before the Drua came back to take out the semi-final 25-14. Pomare and her team still came off with heads held high.
They were in it until the final whistle!
But when all things are said and done, the Drua Women were on fire.
Urged on by the vocal crowd that certainly liked what they saw, and were motivated to cheer on their team, the Drua kept the Force line under pressure.
They defended like women possessed and were confident on attack.
They showed up on the day and wanted that win.
As the Drua Women now prepare for the final on Sunday, April 28 at Ballymore Stadium in Brisbane, Rauluni has his work cut out.
He must get the team motivated to live their dreams and defend the title they have held for two seasons.
In saying that, women’s rugby has come of age.
Our women are hitting the line with confidence. Our defensive shape has improved in leaps and bounds, and there is great confidence on attack. Passes were sticking and they were picking up gaps in heavy traffic.
And we have stars in the making!
What a day!
We say go Drua!
